The Detroit Red Wings continue their rebuilding process, and as such, there remains plenty of turnover with players on the roster.
GM Steve Yzerman has already made his mark, bidding goodbye to several veteran and bringing ab board several new faces.
One veteran who is slated to become an unrestricted free-agent at season’s end and could even be used as trade bait to acquire additional draft capital is goaltender Jonathan Bernier. He’s in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2018, and though he could potentially be re-signed, Yzerman will have plenty of options to choose from in this offseason’s group of available goaltenders to pair with Thomas Greiss in Detroit’s crease.
Let’s take a look at a few realistic possibilities that Yzerman could have his eyes on.
Laurent Brossoit, Winnipeg Jets
Originally drafted in the 6th round (163rd overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in 2011, Brossoit has proven himself to be a capable backup goaltender during his time in the NHL.
After playing several years within the Oilers organization, he’s spent the last three seasons playing as Connor Hellebuyck‘s backup goaltender with the Winnipeg Jets.
He accumulated a cap hit of $1,500,000 this season with Winnipeg, and could command a bit more on the open market, though not at an unreasonable level.
David Rittich, Calgary Flames
The Czech native went undrafted and was signed to a two-way contract with the Calgary Flames in 2016, and like Brossoit, has established himself as a capable backup at the NHL level.
The 6’3, 206 lb. goaltender has accumulated a career record of 62-37-15 with a 2.83 goals-against-average, and currently holds a cap hit of $2,750,000.
Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres
A towering figure in the crease, the 6’4, 215 lb. goaltender is a Swedish native and has been giving his all to a poor Buffalo Sabres team, and could be looking for a change of scenery.
With 109 career games and 46 career wins, Ullmark has also accumulated a 2.77 career goals-against-average after being selected in the 2012 Draft by the Sabres.
This year, he counts $2.6 million against the cap.
